The London School of Public Health offers a range of exciting opportunities which you might expect with the capital.  These include access to suburban, urban, and inner-city areas with local government, with diversity, inequalities, and high-profile public health at their centre. London has 33 boroughs, many of which are open as training locations. These vary greatly and include some of the most deprived wards in the country, alongside some of the least deprived. 

In addition, we offer experiences at the very centre of national government, regional government, world-renowned research and academic departments, specialist UK Health Security Agency teams, national think-tanks, and health protection teams, including the team that covers Heathrow Airport.   

At any one time, the School has over 130 registrars. They will be on placements at our many training locations, completing an MSc in Public Health to support exam success, or out of programme temporarily pursuing other interests or completing a PhD.  

Ensuring High-Quality Training

A core function of the School is to provide high-quality training for registrars and to develop public health training more broadly. This includes working with a diverse range of placement partners, including new training environments, to ensure training remains adaptable and fit for the future.

Each training placement is overseen by an Educational Supervisor (ES) accredited by the School, ensuring registrars receive quality support. ESs are invited to regular meetings for updates and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) in educational supervision.

Additionally, facilitated by the Faculty of Public Health, the HoS and TPDs engage with counterparts from other regions to share best practices and discuss developments in training policy.

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Training Locations in London

When registrars start on the training programme in London, they are placed with one of the London local authorities. After completing a year in local authority, they usually go on to undertake a MSc in public health and then complete health protection training at one of UKHSA health protection teams. After completing their professional exams (diplomate and membership), they can go onto to more specialist placements.  

Specialist placements include: 

• National government departments like the office of Chief Medical Officers or the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) 

• National and regional teams with the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities 

• National and regional teams with UKHSA 

• Local Health Protection teams including North West London which covers Heathrow 

• National Institute of Health and Care Excellence 

• Global health placements like Medicin Sans Frontier 

• Thinktanks, including the Health Foundation and the Nuffield Trust 

• The Greater London Authority 

• NHS England teams, including the Screening and Immunisation Teams and specialised commissioning 

• Universities like London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UCL, Imperial College, and Queen Mary University London  

• Acute and community trusts like the Royal Free, Barts and the London, Chelsea and Westminster and East London Foundation Trust 

Further details on each placements are available in the placement guide. Click here for more information.  

The availability of specific placements will depend adequate educational supervision at the time a registrar wants to go there, so not all placements are available at all the time. Places at a number of training locations are awarded on a competitive basis, usually held on an annual basis.   

London registrars can also potentially access placements outside of London which are advertised through the Faculty of Public Health as part of the nationally available training locations. Conversely registrars from outside London may be placed in London locations, through the same process. Click here for more information.

To meet the Code of Practice, all registrars should have a training location agreed 16 weeks before they are due to start. Any change in placement must be agreed with the registrar’s TPD as suitable to meet outstanding learning outcomes and right for the registrar at that point in time.  

Registrars are required to pass two professional exams as part of their training. These should be completed before moving onto specialist placements. General information on the two exams can be found at FPH exams  

The first, the Diplomate exam, is designed to test individual’s knowledge of public health. The syllabus of knowledge that individuals are expected to master is published on the FPH website (DFPH syllabus). The Diplomate exam is run on-line twice a year in October and March.  More detailed information on other elements of the diplomate exam, including how to apply to sit the exam, can be found at DFPH  

The second exam, the Membership exam, is designed to test an individual’s ability “to apply relevant knowledge, skills and attitudes to the practice of public health”. This is an in-person exam, held four times a year, usually in February, May, September, and November. The exam is held either in London or Liverpool. The format used is an Objective Structured Public Health Exam (OSPHE), which consists of a series of stations where individual skills are tested.   More detailed information on other elements of the membership exam, including how to apply to sit the exam, can be found at MFPH 

Annual Review of Competency Progression (ARCP)

The ARCP is a mandatory process for all Public Health Specialty Registrars to progress to the next year of training. It involves submitting written evidence collected throughout the year via the e-portfolio, following the guidelines outlined in the Gold Guide.

Process Overview

• ARCP requirements vary depending on the type of training placement or whether the registrar is out of programme (OOP).
• For details on ARCPs during OOP or parental leave, visit the PGMDE Support Portal to access FAQs.

• All Public Health (PH) registrars typically undergo Annual Review of Competency Progression (ARCP) in May, unless they are out of sync due to scheduling adjustments. For registrars completing training or requiring an ARCP for other reasons, panels are scheduled throughout the year to ensure timely review

• The Faculty of Public Health (FPH) mandates the final ARCP no more than three months before CCT, so panels are scheduled throughout the year as needed.
• All Public Health ARCPs are held in absentia.

Notification & Documentation

• Registrars receive ARCP notifications at least six weeks in advance, including guidance on the required documentation.
• All documentation must be uploaded to the FPH e-portfolio.
• Every ARCP submission must include Form R (part A & B via TIS Self-Service - TSS), which is essential for registrar revalidation.

ARCP Panel & Outcomes

• TPDs chair ARCP panels, supported by two or more Educational Supervisors (ESs), with a lay observer ensuring equity.
• ARCP outcomes are determined based on the submitted evidence.
• If evidence is incomplete, an Outcome 5 is issued, requiring the registrar to submit missing documentation within 10 days.

For further details, FAQs, and a full list of required documents, visit the Public Health ARCP Resource Library.

NIHR Integrated Academic Training 

The partnership between a number of London universities and the School of Public Health has a strong record of attracting Academic Clinical Fellows (ACFs) and Clinical Fellows (CL) funding, ensuring that ACFs/ACL complete their service training, secure academic funding and go on to academic careers. On average, there are 3-4 ACFs advertised every year, with CLs available less frequently. ACFs/CLs have been or will be based at the following prestigious London universities: 

• Imperial College London 

• King’s College London 

• London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) 

• Queen Mary University London (QMUL) 

• St George’s, University of London 

• University College London (UCL) 

Registrars applying for an ACF must have a medical background. Recruitment for ACFs is usually in October/November each year, with CLs recruitment at different points throughout the year. If an individual is successful in securing an ACF but is not currently a Public Health registrar, they must also apply to the public health speciality training programme.  

Further information is available on the London Integrated Academic Training website Integrated Academic Training | London (hee.nhs.uk). 

Julie George is the academic Training Programme Director for Public Health in London.  

Academic Placements 

Universities listed below are able to take registrars on academic placements to address Key Area 8 and other learning outcomes. For further information on potential academic placements, contact the lead Educational Supervisor in each institution as early as possible.  

• Imperial College: Richard Pinder - richard.pinder@imperial.ac.uk  

• LSHTM: Greg Hartwell - Gregory.Hartwell@lshtm.ac.uk  

• KCL: Krishnarajah Nirantharakumar - krishnarajah.nirantharakumar@kcl.ac.uk 

• QMUL: Oyinlola Oyebode - o.oyebode@qmul.ac.uk  

• UCL: Nigel Field - nigel.field@ucl.ac.uk  

Local Authority Public Health Research Network 

A number of partners across London have developed the Local Authority Public Health Research Network (LAPHRN) which seeks to develop academic research in local authority settings. Further information is available from https://www.arc-nt.nihr.ac.uk/get-involved/laphrn/  

All Public Health trainees in London are employed by Royal Free Hospitals Group, which acts as the Lead Employer.

Any employment‑related enquiries, including contracts and HR matters, should be directed to rf.leademployerservice@nhs.net